Alvarez and Sorloth put Atletico in command as 10-man Barcelona lose at home
Barcelona's Champions League hopes took a serious hit on Wednesday night, with Atletico Madrid winning 2-0 at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their quarter-final. A red card for Pau Cubarsi turned the game on its head, and Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth took full advantage to give Diego Simeone's side a commanding lead to take into the return leg.
Barca had been the better team for the opening 40 minutes. Hansi Flick's side had territory and possession, Marcus Rashford had a couple of decent sights of goal, and the home crowd was buzzing. Then Cubarsi went through the back of Giuliano Simeone around 25 yards out, and everything changed.
VAR review flips the contest
Referee Istvan Kovacs initially brandished a yellow card. A VAR review followed, and the decision was upgraded to red in the 44th minute. With Cubarsi the last covering defender and the younger Simeone running clean through on goal, Kovacs and the VAR team concluded that a clear goalscoring chance had been denied.
Alvarez stepped up to the resulting free kick and bent a beautiful finish over the wall and past Joan Garcia. Atletico went in at the break a goal up and a man up, and the tie had completely shifted.
Sorloth kills it off
The second half was always going to be a rearguard for the hosts, and Simeone's side know exactly how to punish 10-man opposition. Sorloth added the second to cap a performance that will have felt familiar to Atletico supporters who have watched this manager build his reputation on exactly these kinds of nights.
The return leg is at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Tuesday, and Barcelona now need to win by at least two clear goals to force extra time. Flick will also have to plan without Cubarsi, a blow for a defence that has been one of the team's more settled areas this season. Atletico, for their part, ended a long barren run at the Camp Nou in style.
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